Expanded wirewound portfolio has new high-performance metal-clad braking resistors

Riedon has expanded its extensive line of high-power wirewound resistors, with a new range of rugged metal-clad braking resistors that provide high levels of performance and a decrease in the requirement for heatsinking. The devices are aimed at a variety of industrial and other commercial applications including power conversion systems, motor drives, HVAC systems and battery charging and monitoring applications.

Encased in aluminium, the new BR series provides power ratings from 60W to 500W and is supplied in three different mechanical assemblies. These highly durable and rugged components offer excellent heat transfer and short-circuit performance. They are also especially less sensitive to heatsink demands than a comparable TO-packaged device of a similar power rating, many of which may need a cold plate to run at the same rated power.

The series’ high level of performance is mainly due to the use of ceramic cores rather than fibreglass: ceramic gives benefits over fibreglass in efficiency by dealing with heat more efficiently with overload and current surge events. Although ceramic is generally a more costly solution, the new series is extremely competitive, thereby providing an outstanding performance/price option for industrial power designers and engineers.

“This series of competitively-priced metal-clad braking resistors delivers a new and serious option for power designers working in the industrial arena”, said Phil Ebbert, Riedon’s VP of Engineering. “Integrating ceramic cores in the BR series means that new designs and systems can deal quickly and easily with heat or surge issues without the need for additional heatsinking. In addition, these devices can be customized to suit a particular application.”